1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer systems providing mechanical emulation functions. More particularly, the invention pertains to a method and apparatus for providing mechanical emulation in an object oriented computing environment where position commands are received from components linked with displayed graphical objects of the computer system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Graphical user interfaces employing an object-oriented programming paradigm are commonly used in application programs such as word processing and database programs, as well as other graphic desktop applications. A graphical user interface provides manipulable graphical objects such as icons, windows, and various controls that can be used to control underlying software or hardware represented by the graphical objects. Typically, a user interacts with the graphical user interface using a graphical pointer that is controlled by a pointing device, such as a mouse or trackball, to accomplish conventional drag and drop techniques and other graphical object manipulations.
The conventional object-oriented, graphical user interface provides an effective manner to monitor and control underlying components represented by the graphical objects. However, applications that display animation or graphical movement between connected components have required the assistance of computer programmers and specially designed custom software. Examples of such applications are computer simulation programs, mechanical emulation programs, and user display or control applications that graphically display moving components of an automated process. Accordingly, these programs are typically difficult and expensive to develop making them generally unavailable to many industries and possible applications.
As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the method and apparatus of the present invention solves the aforementioned problems by employing an object oriented paradigm to represent connectable graphical objects and employs a number of novel features that render it highly advantageous over the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a system and method for connecting and displaying graphical objects to provide mechanical emulation.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved graphical user interface for connecting graphical objects for mechanical emulation applications where the graphical objects are associated with components of an automated or computer-controlled process.
Still another object of this invention is to provide object dragging and dropping techniques for connecting and manipulating graphical objects.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus which can be easily used by systems engineers or designers to provide mechanical emulation having graphical objects virtually connected to one another in a graphical computing environment without having to rely upon the assistance of computer programmers and specially designed custom software.
To achieve the foregoing and other objectives, and in accordance with the purposes of the present invention a method and apparatus of operatively joining graphical objects are provided for graphically monitoring an automated process having a plurality of different types of computer-monitored components. The graphical objects are displayed on a computer display device of a computer system which includes the display device, a processor, and memory for storing the graphical objects.
The graphical objects are operatively connected to one another such that movement of a representation of one of the graphical objects on a display screen correspondingly affects the movement of a representation of another one of the graphical objects. Each of the graphical objects is typically associated with one of the computer-monitored components through data linking. Data is received from the automated process which represents position changes of the computer-monitored components. Properties of the graphical objects are updated with the data allowing the representations of graphical objects to move in response.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, each pair of graphical objects is operatively connected to one another through an anchor point. One of the pair of graphical objects has an anchor property corresponding to rotation of the respective graphical object""s representation about the anchor point.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the graphical objects are configured by dragging and dropping the graphical objects in a graphical window of the display screen step in response to position commands from a user interface. The graphical objects are positioned in a desired orientation relative to one another. In one preferred embodiment, the graphical objects are positioned and anchored to one another to represent physical proximity factors and physical connection factors between the different types of computer-monitored components or sub-components thereof Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent upon reference to the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which drawings illustrate several embodiments of the invention.